Fresh Start Family Show

You want to grow. You’re reading the books. You’re learning new tools.

And your spouse? Not so much.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re parenting from two different playbooks under the same roof, this episode is for you.

Wendy and Terry share their real-life journey of getting on the same page, what it looked like when one partner led the way, and how connection-based parenting transformed not just their kids, but their marriage.

Inside this conversation, you’ll hear:


Why one parent often goes first in the growth process


How to invite a resistant spouse into learning without control or criticism


The truth about “gentle” parenting and why firm-and-kind is not permissive


How fathers especially benefit from prioritizing relationship


What it really means to end generational cycles

If you’re longing for unity, deeper connection, and less tension around discipline, there is a path forward, even if you feel like you’re walking it alone right now.

➡️ Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/311⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more info and links.

🌵 Raising a strong-willed cactus kid and need a little help? Grab my FREE 'Cactus Kids Survival Guide' today! ⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/cactus⁠⁠

☀️ Ready for a weekend to refill your soul, reset your peace, and transform your home? You can still grab your ticket to Freedom to Be - March 14-15th, in sunny San Diego, CA . Use the code FREEDOM for $150 off your ticket at checkout! ⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/freedom⁠⁠

📕 Pre-order your copy of Fresh Start Your Family: Powerful Parenting to Restore Peace in Your Home and claim your FREE Bonuses! ⁠⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/preorder⁠
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Parenting a strong-willed child can feel intense, exhausting, and isolating, especially when your kid has big emotions, strong opinions, and a “justice-seeking” spirit that won’t quit. In this episode of The Fresh Start Family Show, Wendy sits down with parenting coach and author Mary Van Geffen to talk about how to parent a “spicy one”, without losing your mind, your confidence, or their spark.

You’ll learn how to set firm and kind boundaries, why repair matters more than perfection, and how simple shifts in your tone of voice, pace, and posture can change everything when your child pushes back. Mary also shares powerful mindset shifts from her new book Parenting a Spicy One, including the idea that your child isn’t your problem, they’re your curriculum.

If you’re raising a strong-willed or “spicy” kid and you want more cooperation, less yelling, and a home that feels safer and more connected, this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

➡️ Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/310⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more info and links.

🌵 Raising a strong-willed cactus kid and need a little help? Grab my FREE 'Cactus Kids Survival Guide' today! ⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/cactus⁠

☀️ Ready for a weekend to refill your soul, reset your peace, and transform your home? You can still grab your ticket to Freedom to Be - March 14-15th, in sunny San Diego, CA . Use the code FREEDOM for $150 off your ticket at checkout! ⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/freedom⁠

📕 Pre-order your copy of Fresh Start Your Family: Powerful Parenting to Restore Peace in Your Home and claim your FREE Bonuses! ⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/preorder⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if nurturing a healthy, shame-free sex life could actually help us become calmer, more patient parents?

In this heartfelt and honest conversation, Wendy Snyder is joined by Christian sex educator Carlie Palmer-Webb to explore the powerful connection between intimacy, nervous system regulation, and the way we show up for our families. Together, they unpack how harmful purity culture messages have left many adults disconnected from their bodies, their desire, and their sense of safety, and how healing our relationship with sex can ripple outward into our marriages and parenting.

Carlie shares her personal journey growing up in purity culture, why so many women struggle with shame, pain, or obligation around sex, and how education, compassion, and curiosity can open the door to truly connected intimacy. Wendy reflects on how emotional and physical connection in marriage fuels patience, regulation, and resilience at home, especially for parents working hard to break generational cycles.

This episode is a validating, hopeful invitation for couples to reclaim intimacy as something life-giving, empowering, and deeply supportive of the family legacy they’re building.

➡️ Head to ⁠⁠⁠https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/309⁠⁠⁠ for more info and links.

🌵 Raising a strong-willed cactus kid and need a little help? Grab my FREE 'Cactus Kids Survival Guide' today! https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/cactus

☀️ Ready for a weekend to refill your soul, reset your peace, and transform your home? You can still grab your ticket to Freedom to Be - March 14-15th, in sunny San Diego, CA . Use the code FREEDOM for $150 off your ticket at checkout! https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/freedom

📕 Pre-order your copy of Fresh Start Your Family: Powerful Parenting to Restore Peace in Your Home and claim your FREE Bonuses! ⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/preorder⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if misbehavior isn’t defiance, manipulation, or disrespect, but communication?

In this honest, reflective conversation, Wendy and Terry invite us to upgrade our parenting lenses and see our kids, and ourselves, more clearly. Using a powerful “lens” metaphor, they unpack how much of our reactivity is shaped by old conditioning, inherited beliefs, and unconscious power struggles, and how different everything feels when we remove the glare.

Together, they explore why kids act out when needs go unmet, how power struggles form, and what happens when we stop trying to control behavior and start responding with curiosity, leadership, and connection. With real stories from their own family and 15+ years of lived experience, Wendy and Terry show how shifting our paradigm doesn’t just change our parenting, it changes our relationships, our nervous systems, and the legacy we’re building.

If you’ve ever felt triggered, stuck, or unsure how to respond when emotions run high, this episode will help you slow down, see differently, and lead with confidence and compassion.

Head to ⁠⁠https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/308⁠⁠ for more info and links.

🌟The Fresh Start Experience membership is open for a limited time! Learn more about this full support parenting program at https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/jointoday

📕 Pre-order your copy of Fresh Start Your Family: Powerful Parenting to Restore Peace in Your Home and grab your FREE Bonuses! https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/preorder

🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠
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Threats might feel like they work in the moment, but they quietly erode trust, connection, and long-term cooperation.

In this episode, Wendy and Terry break down why threats, bribes, and countdowns keep families stuck in power struggles, and what to do instead. They explore the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, why so many of us default to control without realizing it, and how a simple shift in language and leadership can completely change the tone of your home.

You’ll learn Wendy’s favorite strategy for replacing threats with firm, kind guidance that actually teaches self-control, builds respect, and supports your child’s inner motivation, without fear, shame, or endless battles. A must-listen for parents who want calmer days now and stronger relationships long-term.

Head to ⁠https://www.freshstartfamilyonline.com/307⁠ for more info and links.

🌟 Save your seat for the⁠ Empowered Parenting Reset workshop⁠ happening Jan 28th!

🗺 The Firm & Kind Parenting Blueprint is your step by step plan & video training to help you build the family of your dreams. Click here to learn more! 👉⁠⁠⁠⁠https://freshstartfamilyonline.com/firmandkind ⁠⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices